What are
Software
Synthesizers

And the Types of Synthesis
within Today's Software Instruments

By Rich the Tweakmeister

Selecting a software synth foryour studio is like going to a candy store. They all
look soooo good. And with all the incredible variety of
flavors of synthesis now available in the software realm, it
truly is a choice of ear candy. You can choose your flavor and
happily skip home to the sequencer, install it, and marvel
at the new possibilities for you music. And if you were a good boy or
girl and did your homework, this story has a happy ending.
Don't like homework? Awww. Well, lets hope you
don't have to learn the hard way.

We already talked about
plugin formats in a
previous class, right? If you were out playing hooky
that day you better go back and find out which formats are
compatible with your sequencer or you may be
weeping over lost cashola at the end of the day.
Remember that stores will not take back software after you
open the box, so get it right the first time. So do
your research at
manufacturers sites before you shell. Oh, by the way, you'll find MP3 demos of
most of the synths on this page if you follow the links.

Types of Software Synthesizers

To really understand what's going on with
soft synths,
it helps to have an understanding of synthesis in general and the hardware
synths that these virtual instruments attempt to emulate. This way,
you'll get an idea of the way these things sound and can choose which kind
of sounds you want to have in your music. So in addition to rounding
up some of the softsynths available, I'll also give you a short course in
the history of synthesizers.

Analog Soft Synths

Lets start off with good old
analog.
If it needs to be said, analog soft synths are not really analog synths but
digital models of analog synths. Real analog works with voltage, not
data. It starts with a harmonically rich waveform (Saw, Square,
Rectangle and Triangle) which is genrated by an oscillator then "filters" or cuts away, part of the sound in an
exacting fashion with filters and envelopes. Hence, analog is often
called "subtractive" synthesis, as it cuts away part of this big fat sound to
make presets such as bass (which it does well) and leads (which are sometimes biting,
buzzy, sometimes oozing liquid), pads, gurgling effects, blips, whooshes,
"vintage" sounding keyboards, clavs, organs, gooey, sometimes sensuous
strings, a passable woodwind, and totally fake guitars and pianos.
Drums are bursts of noise shaped with filters to resembles kicks and snares.

Analog synths are quite evident in trance
and industrial music. They are good for anything that needs a fluid,
liquid-like texture that is thick on the bottom and mildly fuzzy on the top.
Analog has a hard time being crystalline and precise. Its hard to get
a clean bell tone. Analog synths
used to be monophonic in the heyday of the MiniMoog, ms20s, and they evolved
to be polyphonic in the early 80s with the Sequential Prophet 5 and Roland
Juno and Jupters, Oberheims Matrix, Korg's Mono Poly's.

Today's Analog Software Equivalents

Arturia's
Minimoog V
has been noted by many as an excellent replica of the original mono mini.
Aturia also makes the
Moog Modular V
which has up to 9 oscillators per voice and has 64
(!) voices. I don't have those yet, but soon... A long standing
soft synth is the Native Instruments
Pro-53, which
emulates the Prophet 5 by Sequential. The Prophet was a polyphonic
analog, capable and warm, and easily adaptable to rock, pop, industrial,
techno and trance. Its easy on the CPU, unlike the MiniMoog V. The
Pro53 is so tight it will actually read sysex files from the original unit.
That shows the incredible level of detail these models are capable of.
Also take a look at
ImpOSCar, a play of words off "Imposter" and OSCar, the synth it
emulates. The
Korg Legacy Series includes two important analog replicas--the MS20 and
the PolySix. The MS20 is a mono analog synth with strong resonant
filters capable of many forms of noise, distortion and overdrive. You
even get a controller keyboard with the package that has all the MS20 knobs,
jackfield, wheels and switches on it. I have that one. Awesome. Another analog model is
the GForce Oddity
which emulates the venerable ARP Odyssey, a monophonic 2 oscillator synth.

FM Synths

FM stands for Frequency Modulation.
It was the technology behind Yamaha's groundbreaking synths in the 80s, the
DX5, DX7, DX9, TX7, TX802, SY and TG series. Rather than subtract from
a big fat waveform, FM synthesis started by using several "thin" Sine Waves
(operators and carriers) at user selectable frequencies
and then "patched" them in various ways to come up with tones.
The result-- an entire
universe of sound opened up, from very pure tones to discordant atonal
chaos. FM is capable of interesting replicas of
acoustic instruments. FM sounds are precise, bright and bell-like, the
opposite of analog. FM makes very precise bass sounds with lots of
top, which makes them ideal for mixes where the bass has to be clean and
accurate. FM has a kind of cheesy ring to many sounds, like clavs and
organs. Its strings are obviously fake, but in a nice way. Its
brass is bratty, plastic. Winds are often cutting but precise.
FX that many programmers discovered on FM were usually of a wacky, sci-fi vintage but beautiful spacey textures are
possible for those that listen. I know. I've been there.

FM Software Equivalents

There are many softsynths that use FM
synthesis too some degree, but not that do it as well as Native Instruments
FM7. Check
out my review. Just let
me say here, the FM7 is great software and MUCH easier to program than the
original
FM machines. What is a bit surprising about the FM7 is how good it sounds:
it sounds better than all 3 FM synths I have here. Sort of like how FM
would sound if you
died and went to heaven. LOL. Definite 2 thumbs up

Reaktor has some FM models among its
collection of soft synths. Reason's Subtractor, though more of an
analog synth can also do FM. MOTU's Multisynth uses FM among its
methods of generation

Wavetable and Linear
Algorithmic Synths

Linear Algorithmic

(LA) synthesis is
a combination of a sample playback and digital waveforms. Back in the
day when sample playback was just starting, memory on synths was precious
and small. Developers took tiny bits of samples and spliced them
together in one big wave chunk. As in sample playback synths, when you
played an instrument the processor would scan over a tiny looped section
where the sample was. So, you had the realism of low bit samples combined
with sine and analog like waveforms. The sound of these synths was
surprisingly evocative, a touch of realism, yet totally digital. The Roland D series (D50, D10, D110) is most representative of LA.

Wavetable Synths

The wave
table approach took LA one step further. It would let you scan
through a series of contiguous samples in the big wave chunk at once, which gave a "morph" of one
sound to another. Right around this time developers were realizing they
could use real time controls like faders and knobs to shift from one sound
to another. These are often called "Vector" synths because you could
map out a path, or vector, from one sound element to another over time. The
PPG, Waldorf's Microwave, Ensoniq's VFX and the Korg Wavestation are synths that used wavetables and
the latter two can be considered vector synths.

Wavetable/LA Software Equivalents

The
Korg Legacy
package has an exacting model of the Korg Wavestation, an unbelievable feat.
Ok, I have to quote the blurb here. "...provides all 484
waveforms and 55 effects found on the WAVESTATION series (including the
WAVESTATION-SR!), with 32 digital oscillators, 32 digital filters, 64
envelope generators, and 64 LFOs that allow letter-perfect replication of
the three-dimensional WAVESTATION sound, ..." Those waveforms are
quite neat. The synth architecture followed the philosophy of the PPG,
if I recall properly, the Synergy, the synths of the era when Wendy Carlos
used on Digital Moonscapes. The Wavestation SR is one of my favorite synths. If
you take the time to go beyond the presets you can make powerful evolving
timbres that go beyond the stuff Tritons and Fantoms can do. Of
course, there is a tradeoff for getting this much power. Make sure you
have a strong CPU for the legacy package. Also check out the
inexpensive
Digital Edition of the Legacy Collection

Arturia's Analog Factory Experience offers the
immediacy of a hardware synthesizer combined with the flexibility of
a software based solution. How is it possible? Analog Factory
Experience is a unique combination of a software synthesizer that
brings 3500 sounds, along with a high quality dedicated hardware
controller. Once the Software is started, you can put your mouse
away, all functions can be activated from within the keyboard
controller: select a sound to play, modify this sound, recall
snapshots... This is a true hands-on experience: simple,
straightforward and fun.

So far, I've yet
to see any Roland D-series models but I would not be surprised to find out a
D50 soft synth is on some developer's bench right now. After all they
are bringing the D50 back into the hardware V-Synth II.

Sample Playback Soft
Synths

Sample playback came into popularity with
the first Proteus synths by Emu and quickly took over the synth industry.
The Roland JD and JV, XP and XV series, the Yamaha AWGS system, the Korg,
Kawaiis, and many others are in here. Its the same technology you find
in the Fantom, Triton and Motif today. Digital samples of acoustic
instruments and samples of analog and digital waveforms are arranged into
layered presets. You get typical analog style envelopes and lfos and
digital filters to round it out. The sound, we we all have heard, is
clean, authentic, precise at best and at worst, brittle, starchy and
unconvincing.

Sample Playback Software equivalents

General Synths

Cakewalk released its
Dimension Pro Software synth which has a whopping 7GB library and 1500
sound programs of instruments we all use. It even runs on a Mac as
well as on Windows. Hmm. Think about that. Simpler and
less expensive is the
Native Instruments Bandstand, a "modest" 2GB, and is GM, GS
compatible. 2GB is "modest"? Umm, sure, it beats the rap out
of the old 512KB GM soundbanks that come on many soundcards! M-Audio
is getting in on the act with the low cost
Drum and Bass Rig and
Key Rig soft synths.

It Used to Be Hardware (not long ago)

There are many out there, so lets start
with the Emu Software
Proteus
X2 With the Proteus X you can buy modules that use the same
samples as the original hardware Proteii, such as the
Planet Earth (world)
Virtuoso
(orchestral),
Mo
Phatt (Hip Hop) and more. There are several emu collections that
cover a history of analog and digital synths but remember these are samples
of those synths, not models, so they correctly belong in the
sample playback section.

Another way to get the old classic emu
synths in software form is through Cakewalk's Dimension Pro. Many of
these sounds are on famous dance and electronica tracks as they go back to
when the Emulator samplers ruled the electronic jungle.

Dimension Pro is the critically acclaimed
synthesizer that combines real instruments with advanced synthesis,
giving you endless sound possibilities. The immense 2 DVD sound
library that ships with Dimension Pro makes it the ideal go-to
instrument for musicians, while its deep editing and sound
generation capabilities have a natural appeal to sound designers.

Cakewalk EMU PX7 Drums Sound Library for Dimension ProCapture the dynamic feel of a real drummer or
percussionist with the PX7 drum collection. You get fantastic
multi-layered acoustic drum kits along with an in-depth percussion
ensemble. This collection offers eight precisely recorded drum kits
that were then meticulously layered and programmed to provide the
human feel often missing in MIDI drums. Kits include Rock, Funk,
Jazz, Hip Hop, Swing, Electronica, and more. Warning: other
producers will be asking for your drummer's phone number.

Cakewalk EMU Virtuoso 2000 Sound Library for Dimension ProVirtuoso 2000 is your ticket to world-class
orchestral sounds. Become the composer and conductor of a
professional symphony orchestra recorded under ideal conditions. Get
string (section and solo), woodwind, brass, and percussion sounds at
your fingertips that preserve the natural sound of these high
quality acoustic instruments. And best of all, this collection was
created for ultimate musicality by one of the most revered sound
designers in the industry.

Cakewalk EMU MoPhatt Sound Library for Dimension ProThere ain't nothing like the real thing. Mo'Phatt is
THE ORIGINAL Hip Hop sound generator. In this collection you'll find
the actual sounds that have made your head nod and booty shake on
countless #1 Rap and R&B hits. Drums, bass, synth leads, pads, hits
and moreā€”you'll recognize them all. Accept no substitute.

Cakewalk EMU Planet Earth Sound Library for Dimension ProAdd the kind of global warming that everyone enjoys
with Planet Earth, an amazing collection of authentic world
instruments and percussion. We've toured the globe for you to find
the best sounding instruments and the best players, and recorded
samples at multiple velocities to present the ultimate realism.
Whether you're looking for tambora, kotos or shakuhachi, marimbas or
timbales this collection features unique textures guaranteed to
spice up any mix.

Cakewalk EMU Proteus 2000 Sound Library for Dimension ProThe Proteus 2000 represents a vast array of
instruments used in film, TV, and commercial scores. This incredible
sound set includes custom programs tailored to the needs of
composers, and features a wide-ranging collection of instruments
which cover many different styles of music. This may be the most
useful sound library ever created. Priced from 79.95Cakewalk EMU Xtreme Lead-1 XL1 Sound Library for Dimension ProCut through the mix and make an impression with
Xtreme Lead-1, a diverse set of cutting edge synthesizers and
percussion. Perfect for Electronica, Trance, Dance, and other modern
music these synth basses, sizzling leads, drum kits, vocal stabs,
and DJ scratches will liven up any house mix.

Atmospherica

Another soft synth that uses samples of old
synths along with some quality acoustic tweaks is Spectrasonics
Atmosphere,
which I have reviewed. Its a
fantastic choice. Spectrasonics just released
Omnisphere, which will be reviewed here soon! In the Atmospherical veins we also have the Zero-G Altered
States which uses the Intakt engine and
Morphology which
uses the Kompakt engine. Its tempting to call these sample libraries
rather than soft synths. I hope to hear these soon.

Grand Pianos

Synthogy Ivory Grand
Piano

Among the software acoustic pianos
available today, all sample-driven, we have the Native Instruments
Akoustik Piano,
Steinberg's
The
Grand, and Synthology's
Ivory.

Covering the Basses

While guitarists are a dime a dozen, a good
bass player has always been hard to find. Not so in the virtual
domain. These Bass players come with a truckload of basses and, unlike
those I know, they won't drink all your beer. Yellow Tools has the
Majestic Bass.
East-West has HardCore Bass. Steinberg has
Virtual
Bassist and Spectrasonics has
Trilogy,
which will be replaced soon with Trillian. Trilogy won't work on newer Macs,
so I hope they hurry.

Axe Me One

The
Virtual Guitarist, a Steinberg product,
is, and I quote "a perfect rhythm guitarist who plays
both acoustic and electric guitar, including all keys and difficult chords,
who never gets impatient, follows the tempo of your song..." Let me
add that the product will never hit on your girlfriend, wife, mother or
daughter. Reason enough right there to get it.

World Sounds

Mark
of the Unicorn's Ethno World is
one of the first World sample collections in a soft synth plugin format
and is a combination of sampled instruments loops and phrases.
Usually you have to buy a sample collection to run in a soft sampler to
get these sounds, so this is cool.

Mark
of the Unicorn (MOTU) Ethno World Virtual Instrument Soft Synth
The Ethno Instrument delivers expressive ethnic instrument sounds combined
with authentic world music loops and phrases in one easy-to-use window. From
solo instruments to full ensembles, the Ethno Instrument delivers all of the
exotic textures you need to take your recordings to the four corners of the
globe.

Hybrid Physical Modeling Soft Synths

While physical modeling hardware synths
have been around in modules such as the Yamaha
VL70M they have
never really taken off, much to the surprise of many. That is changing
now that developers have gone to the soft synth realm to take advantage of
the computer's superior processing power. As one software modeler put
it, "you can develop models of any sound occurring in nature. Once the
mathematical characteristics of sounds are captured, you can apply them to
other models.

Those with Logic Pro 7 should explore the
new softsynth Sculpture, based in part on models of a vibrating string.
Sculpture can create everything from EPs to guitars and harps conventionally
but also make totally unearthly sounds like deep waterphone-like scraping
metallic noise, very real sounding voxs, and scary effects you have not
heard at the movies yet.

Physical modeling the technology leading
the edge of soft synth design. Just as developers have emulated analog
and digital synths with mathematical models, they have developed them for
other instruments as well. The Electric Piano is one of these.
Its relatively simple design makes it a good candidate. Take a listen
to the Native Instruments
Elektrik Piano
and the Lounge Lizard.

Tweak:
Komplete is a great way to get a lot of softsynths in one
bundle.

Of the Hybrid Modeling Synths we have
Applied Acoustics
Tassman which has digital models real world instruments (not samples).
As they say "You' ll find all the classic analog and FM
instrument emulations you'd expect in a modular synthesis solution,
staggeringly realistic acoustic instruments including various drums and
chromatic percussion, string instruments of all shapes and sizes, an
electric piano, tonewheel and pipe based organs, and more, complete with the
nuances and subtleties that would be simply unattainable with a sample based
solution" Version 4 is now out and adds a lot of compatibility. This
could be where the future is headed that finally breaks our (over) reliance
on sample playback.

Hybrid and Abstract
Synths

One of the cool things about making
synthesizers in software is that you don't have to emulate something that
already existed as hardware, you can go wild and really take all the
synthesis technologies and combine them into a single synth or set of
synths. Then you can add other stuff, little mini-sequencers,
arpeggiators, effects, samples and really go a warpin'. That's essentially the
recipe Native Instruments used for
Reaktor.

In many ways, this program is ahead of
other
softsynths out there in terms of sound making potential. You can build your own synth engine from templates and presets. Add FM, analog, ring mods, fx, samplers, step sequencers...getting the idea? Another
flash of greatness is that there are tons of user built synths that are freely downloadable at the Native Instruments site. These aren't just "patches" but full-hog user-blown total virtual synths!
(careful though--lots of them crash!) But in the balance: Reaktor is visionary! Check out my review of
Reaktor Session

The ARP 2600 is one of the
finest analog synthesizers ever made. Celebrated
by the most respected musicians over the last
thirty years, it is capable of creating amazing
sounds, heard in numerous popular tunes from
Herbie Hancock to Stevie Wonder.
Tweak: Like to
Tweak like the old school?

Absynth is another heavy NI soft synth. Extremely powerful.
I've had it for years. This synth is for heavy tweaks. You get a lot of different filters and can "granualize" your own samples with it. Cool
and unusual. Absynth will also do convincing analog and FM Check out my
review.

Kantos's ad
states "finally
liberates you from the tyranny of MIDI, keyboards, controllers or, in fact,
anything that stands between you and the music you hear in your mind"
oh-key. That's quite a claim. The way it works is you patch it
as an insert on an audio track. Kantos takes the audio data and
generates sound. Someone tell me if it works. I'm still trying to get
over shelling out another $100 to keep Antares Auto-Tune working in Logic 7.

Tweak Sez:

OK, I know you want to know, "what's
the bes...NO! don't say that word! Which do I like the
most? Sorry, still can't answer. I have a lot of those on
this page and I like them all for specific things. Ok which do I
use the most? That I can answer.
Omnisphere. There you go.

A really good strategy is to get
different types of synthesis. If I were starting today what would I
get. Easy. Omnisphere and Komplete, then a Moog. If you
can't get Komplete, get Absynth. Even if you never program it, Absynth
will open your ears. The Mini Moog V is so Moog-like that it will make
you smile. Omnisphere has all of atmosphere in it. I have it
sitting here waiting for my Mac pro (the G5 1.8 is just shy of the
recommended requirements). Next time i update this article I'll tell
you all about it.

Naturally, it is impossible to cover all of
today's software synthesizers on one web page. This is a rapidly
growing field. I can only imagine what it will be like 10 years from
now. Will every vintage analog synth be modeled? Or will
manufacturers release all their synths under the software flag. "In
this box you get models of all the Roland Synths from 1977-1995". Will
mathematical models of acoustic instruments finally overthrow sampling
technology? Will the next software guitarist actually shout sampled
insults so we feel its more real? Keep thine chops up and ears peeled.